On-line services may provide users with the ability to send and receive instant messages. Instant messages may be exchanged in a private or public on-line conversation between two or more people who have access to an instant messaging service and who have installed communications software necessary to access and use the instant messaging service. A participant list that includes the communications identities with which a user exchanges instant messages may be displayed for a user and may be used to establish instant messaging sessions with those other identities. The participant list may indicate whether each identity associated with the participant list is on-line.
On-line services also may provide users with the ability to participate in a chat session with other users. A chat session also may be referred to as a chat room or a channel. In one example, instant messages may be exchanged in an on-line conversation between two or more people who have access to an instant messaging service and who have installed communications software necessary to access and use the instant messaging service.
Instant messages also may be exchanged between a person who has access to an instant messaging service with the requisite communications software and a program that is capable of automatically receiving and responding to instant messages without user intervention. Such a program may be referred to as an instant message robot, a BOT, or an automated agent. For example, an instant messaging robot may receive an instant message, identify an appropriate response to the instant message, and send the response automatically. Instant messaging robots may be used to automatically perform tasks that once required a human to perform, such as providing customer service.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.